It’s no longer a question in anyone’s head – Shabang is now an integral part of central coast culture.

This past weekend, Shabang held the tenth edition of it’s bi-annual, day long festival.

Held at Laguna Lake Park, this Shabang was the most ambitious yet; the largest number of bands, two stages, and by far the best turnout ever seen by this local festival. At this point, it’s safe to say that Shabang is a household name and hopefully, it’s here to stay.

Sugar Candy Mountain headlined the Spring issue of the Cal Poly student-created festival to massive crowds hell-bent on having a groovy Cinco de Mayo weekend! With years under their belts, the creators of Shabang have sure come a long way from their humble roots as a makeshift stage at the top of Cuesta Ridge.

For me, this was the very first Shabang I have ever attended and I couldn’t be happier with the experience.

I’ve been to a number of music festivals throughout the country and in California with disastrously relentless and fierce crowds with no regard for anyone around them. Shabang is a complete shake-up for the normal festival-goer. The friendliness of the masses was only exceeded by the vast communal love for good music.

Festival-goers embrace in front of the brand new Respect the Funk silent disco stage.

The whole mantra of the rising festival is akin to spending a sunny afternoon enjoying the sun with old friends. It’s obvious to me that not only is Shabang here to stay, but it’s only uphill from here!

Keep an eye on KCPR’s Facebook and Instagram pages for more upcoming concerts and even info about the next Shabang!

Izaac Tompkins is a Cal Poly Environmental Sciences junior and a KCPR DJ, spinning disks as El Barto from 12 to 2 PM on Saturday afternoons. Jo Anna Edmison is a Cal Poly freshman and a KCPR DJ, on air from 6 to 8 AM on Thursday mornings. She took the photos.